Determinant vectors of the development of rural communities with tourism related activities

Abstract

The mountainous area of Bukovina is continuously shaped by numerous economic processes in which the natural environment plays a key role. In the context of the economic dynamics of recent years, the initial status of the determinant elements of the geographical environment (water areas, forested areas, soil quality, cultural landscape, privileged geographical position) has led to the emergence of a new determinant for local development: tourism and leisure activities, present in most mountainous areas with adequate accessibility. This determinant factor triggers a redistribution of the resources available to rural communities and alters the functional profile of the settlements where the tourism business` growth has already reached threshold of development. In view of the above circumstances, the paper aims to identify a new potential set of determinants for the development of a rural community in which the scale of tourism activities has resulted in the coexistence of two types of rurality that can be identified in the same geographical area: one dominated by the traditional primary sector, the other in which tourism has substantially changed the way of life of the inhabitants and the perception of the use of the resources offered by the natural environment.